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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Audit: Election Results Accurate

By Dan McKay
Journal Staff Writer
       Election results have a margin of error, just like telephone surveys.
    Now, New Mexicans know how much: Less than two-tenths of a percentage point.
    That's according to an audit overseen by professors at the University of New Mexico, California Institute of Technology and University of Utah. They worked with the Bernalillo County Clerk's Office this year to re-count about 25 percent of the ballots cast in the 2006 election.
    The result: Candidate tallies produced by vote-counting machines differed, on average, by only 0.19 percent from a hand count of those ballots.
    The different totals appeared to be random and didn't favor one candidate or party. Most precincts, in fact, matched perfectly, with no discrepancy in hand- and machine-count totals.
    "Our findings should help to build voter confidence in the optical-scan machines," said Lonna Atkeson, a UNM political science professor.
    The audit also examined different hand-counting procedures to see which were most accurate. The report found, for example, that there's so little difference between two- and three-person counting teams that the third person isn't necessary.
    The audit also makes recommendations on chain-of-custody procedures and other techniques to ensure accuracy in hand counts. The study was important because a new state law requires post-election audits of vote tallies, officials said.
    "We wanted to make sure we weren't doing this for the first time in November," County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver said, explaining the audit's significance.
    Early voting machines, which have to be able to handle many different ballots styles, were the most susceptible to overcounting ballots, the study said. Election Day votes, meanwhile, had the highest percentage of perfect matches between machine and hand counts.
    Secretary of State Mary Herrera said the results should put the public's mind at ease.
    "This is just going to show the voters that their vote did count," she said.
    The project was a joint effort of the Pew Charitable Trusts, the universities, the County Clerk's Office and the Secretary of State's Office.